European Council leaders have elected a president under the rules of the newly-adopted Lisbon Treaty. But how does the position compare with that of other presidents, such as the President of the United States?

President of European Council

President of United States of America

European Union:Population: 490 million GDP: $18.7tn

United States: Population: 304 millionGDP: $14.9tn

Military: 3,800 troops on EU military missions

Military: 250,000 on deployment (Iraq/Afghanistan)

Land mass:

Land mass:

Elected by:European Council leaders. Liable to select candidate by consensus. If vote held, each country has different number of votes. Winner must gain 258 out of 345 votes from at least 18 of the 27 countries.

Elected by: Electoral College
system. In general election, must win 270 out of 538 electoral college votes. President Barack Obama won 67 million votes in popular vote.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.